In biological, clinical and diagnostic research the need exists to identify a set of different biomolecules that might be present in the same sample, at a specific point in time. A typical solution to multiplexed detection is to mix a sample with encoded particles, each of which is functionalized with a probe that will recognize a specific target, and then analyze results from each of those particles. For this method to work reliably, it is important to (1) encode each particle so it can be reliably identified and to (2) quantify the amount of target bound to each particle. An example of such solution relies on color-coded particles that are interrogated by scanning them in a flow cytometer. In this approach, encoding is achieved by using precisely-controlled levels of various fluorochromes embedded in the particles, while target quantification is achieved by measuring the fluorescence intensity of a fluorophore bound to the target, which is in turn bound to the particle's surface. In this method, code identification and target quantification are performed contemporaneously. In other words, both the encoding and the target-bound dyes are located in the same place, so their signals need to be de-convoluted by sophisticated optical or electronic methods. For this reason, higher multiplexing requires more expensive equipment. Therefore, there is a need in this industry for robust and inexpensive methods for multiplexed analysis.